


Cross My Heart, Hope You Die

by ericaababyy



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Gay, M/M, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2020-09-28 10:13:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20424272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericaababyy/pseuds/ericaababyy
Summary: Hapless homeowner Sehun realizes he got more than he bargained for when he dangles his hand off the bed on his first night at his eerie new house only to feel another cold hand grab his own. Ever the romantic, Sehun would have been thrilled. The only problem was that he lived alone.





	1. Chapter 1

**Sehun**

29

Human

Inquisitive and Unafraid

**Kai**

Probably 247

Demon

Scary. Grr.


	2. The First Night

Sehun hauled his bags up the stairs of the big, grey house. There was thunder in the distance and a few streaks of white lightning nearby. It was strange because he had remembered the forecast said that it was supposed to be sunny. Nevertheless, Sehun heaved a sigh of relief as he dropped his bags in the foyer.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Home sweet home…” He left his bags as he wandered to the wide, bay window overlooking the property.

The house itself sat atop the highest hill in the small town. The driveway leading up to it was long and winding. There were no other houses for at least five miles. And Sehun was perfectly fine with that.

He’d bought this house to get away from the bustling noises and elbow-to-elbow-ness of the city. Although he was young, he could be considered a _has been_. In his late teens, he’d written a book that somehow made its way onto the best-sellers list. Sehun had come into quite a fortune by the time he’d reached twenty-one. A few books later, he was now pushing thirty and had become more of a reader than a writer.

Sehun sighed and meandered through the rest of the house. He couldn’t fathom why anyone would just walk away from a house like this. It was architecturally beautiful. It was an old, Victorian style and most of the furnishings were the originals. The realtor had said the previous owners had packed up and left in the middle of the night, something or other about the house being haunted and a “malicious entity” trying to kill them. Sehun had chuckled at that. Apparently this house had a history of repeating itself, because no one seemed to want to stay here for more than a couple of months. He probably should have taken that as a warning sign, but honestly, he was kind of lonely.

Sehun made his way down the hallway. He came to a door for which he did not have a key. He hummed to himself. He’d have to ask the realtor about it later. He noticed the scratches on the floor at the bottom of the door that looked an awful lot like something had been trying to get in. _Or out_. The previous owners must have had a puppy.

Sehun held his hand out against the wall as he crept further along, his fingertips ghosting the paint that badly needed to be retouched. He got goosebumps as he reached the room at the very end of the long hall. He turned the doorknob slowly, opening it up to a dark room. Sehun flicked the light on. There was a queen-sized canopy bed centered against the wall, adorned with colors of burgundy and champagne. Dark red drapes the color of old blood hung on the windows. It was elegant and slightly creepy and Sehun loved it. This was _his_ room.

Sehun made himself a dinner of the ever-classic grilled cheese. It had been a quiet afternoon of unpacking and more wandering, but he was tired now. There had come quite a storm as the night wore on. Sehun shut himself in his new bedroom for the night. He stripped his clothes off and was left in nothing but his soft pink boxers as he climbed into the bed.

He yawned, his eyes trying hard to fight the inevitable sleep that was to come. He stretched his arms out and rolled over, one arm dangling off the side of the bed. Sehun’s eyes shot open wide as he felt ice-cold fingers connect with his own. They squeezed his hand gently. Sehun _blushed_.

He inched closer to the edge of the bed as the hand began to pull him gently. Sehun peeked right over the side.

“_Hi,_” He whispered in a soft, friendly tone.

He heard a low growl as the hand tightened around his and pulled him violently off the edge of the bed.


	3. Boo, who?

Sehun hit the floor with a thud. He was lying on his stomach now, staring under the bed. The growling got louder as another hand reached from beneath the bed and grabbed his other arm. It pulled Sehun slowly toward itself. Sehun was met with two shining black eyes. He could feel its icy cold breath on his face.

Sehun smiled softly. “_Are you my roommate?”_

It loosened its grip on him suddenly and the growling stopped. Sehun propped himself up on his elbows, straining to see through the dark. “I’ve never had a roommate before.”

“_I-I’m not your… your roommate.” _The voice was low and guttural. It cleared its throat. “_I’m the demon that haunts this house.”_

“So, you DO live with me. That makes you my roommate.”

“_What? No. That’s not how this works.”_

“If _you_ live here… and _I_ live here… that makes us roommates. I’m pretty sure that _is_ how it works.”

The demon pushed Sehun back. Sehun slid across the room on his stomach, his feet hitting the wall behind him with a soft thud. The demon flew from beneath the bed and stood in front of the window. Sehun watched him as he looked outside. The rain was still pouring and with every flash of lightning, Sehun could make out tiny details about his new housemate.

He wasn’t as scary as he sounded. He was actually kind of… _cute_. His hair was dark and wispy. He was tall, his shoulders broad. Sehun could only see the profile of his face, but he was instantly fond of the demon’s plump lips.

“_You’re supposed to run away screaming_,” The demon said in a soft tone, drawing Sehun out of his musing.

Sehun shrugged. “Surprisingly, that’s not the first time I’ve heard that. I’m Sehun. What’s your name?”

The demon growled once again.

“If we’re going to be roommates, I think we should at least know each other’s names.”

“_Stop that._”

They bickered back and forth for hours, but Sehun eventually came to find out that the demon’s name was Kai.

Sehun had slept most of the day. He had been up until dawn with Kai. He knew he needed to rest, but he was enthralled in his game of 20 Questions with his housemate. It was actually more like 5,000 Questions and Sehun was doing all the asking – _with very little answers in return_ – but it was fun for him. For Kai, not so much.

Sehun made his way to the kitchen to make an evening breakfast. He mixed the batter for the pancakes and whipped up some scrambled eggs. While he had turned toward the stove to flip his pancakes, he heard a loud shatter and felt a sharp stinging sensation as glass shards of his mixing bowl hit his bare feet.

He grinned. “Good morning to you, too, Kai.”

He heard a low growl and a muttered “_damn it_” from somewhere down the hall.

After cleaning up the mess Kai had made and bandaging the cuts on his feet, Sehun set two plates on the dining room table.

“Kai?” Sehun shouted down the hall.

Nothing.

Sehun made his way upstairs. “Kai, are you up here?”

Again, no response.

“_Kaaiii!_” Sehun walked through the house yelling for his roommate.

He shouted one more time from the top of the stairs.

“What do you want?!” Kai materialized from behind him suddenly.

Sehun gasped, losing his footing on the step and began to fall in slow motion. He braced himself for the painful tumble down the stairs, but it never came. The next thing he knew, he was in Kai’s arms at the _bottom_ of the staircase.

Sehun let out a breath. “How did you…”

Kai glowered at him. He threw Sehun down and crossed his arms. “What do you want, _human_?”

Sehun stood up, brushing the dust off of his pants. He cleared his throat. “I made breakfast. Well, technically, it’s dinner, but it’s pancakes. I don’t know if you even like pancakes, but we’re roomies now, so I thought-“

“_Stop_ calling me your roommate.”

In his many, _many_ years of death, Kai had never come across someone so _maddening_. He had always done the chasing, but these days it seemed that he was the one doing the running. The only problem was that he was tied to this house and Sehun was around every corner. Who was haunting who?

This was worse than hell. Kai knew. He’d been there.

They were going on their second week of cohabitation. Kai refused to refer to Sehun as his roommate. He _should_ have let the puny human fall to his death on the staircase.

It was weird because no matter how hard Kai tried to frighten or shock the guy, Sehun would never give up trying to befriend him. He always seemed to be able to find Kai no matter where he hid. He’d talk and talk until the demon could feel his ears burning. And, much as Kai hated to admit it, Sehun was actually a fairly decent cook. He’d never, ever tell him that, of course.

Sehun would leave a plate for him at the table every night and once Kai was sure that he was asleep, he’d devour the whole meal. Demons didn’t need food to survive – they were already dead, after all – but Kai was gluttonous. Reason Number One why he didn’t get in Upstairs.

Reason Number Two being that he was _slightly_ murderous.

Two nights later, Kai drifted into Sehun’s room. Sehun was sound asleep. This was it. This was Kai’s chance to finally rid himself of the strangely beautiful pest that followed him around like a shadow.

He hovered over Sehun, an evil smile playing across his lips, the tip of his nose just barely touching the other’s. Kai wrapped his hands carefully around Sehun’s neck. His neck was… so soft and warm. Kai scowled. He wanted to watch as Sehun took his last breath and slipped into a sleep that he’d never wake up from.

He began to squeeze. Sehun’s eyes popped open, but he didn’t look frightened. He looked… _excited_? Kai, taken aback, loosened his grip.

Sehun smiled timidly. “Well, if you wanted to kiss me, all you had to do was ask.”

Kai glared, letting out an annoyed sigh. “Go back to sleep, Sehun,” He groaned and flew into another room.

Better luck tomorrow.


	4. 28 Days Later

“Dear Diary, this is day twenty-eight of cohabitation and I’m afraid I might not survive the night,” Kai spoke quietly as he used his sharp fingernails to scratch words through the paint on the wall.

Sehun laughed softly from behind him. Kai snarled lowly and turned around to find the man propped against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest. He glared at Sehun angrily.

“Oh, come on, Kai. I’m not that bad of a roommate.”

“First of all, you’re _not_ my roommate. Second of all, you are the most annoying creature that I’ve ever had the displeasure of making contact with.” Kai flew threw the floor and into the upstairs bedroom. Sehun took the stairs.

“Hey, at least I feed you. And I practically take you on walks seeing as you run every time I enter the same room.” Sehun was out of breath by the time he reached the top of the stairs. “Technically, you’re right about not being roommates. You’re more like a _pet_!”

Sehun struck a nerve. In an instant, Kai appeared less than a centimeter before him, nose to nose with the handsome human as he stared him down with two angry, solid black eyes.

“I will _never_ be your roommate. Even more so, I will never be your _pet_,” Kai spat bitterly, and then disappeared.

Sehun let out the breath he’d been holding in. He had _really_ pissed Kai off.

It had been three days. Sehun hadn’t seen or heard even a peep from Kai. It wasn’t for lack of trying. Sehun had searched the entire house up and down and he couldn’t find a trace of the demon anywhere.

He changed into a pair of sweatpants and fluffed his pillows before crawling into bed. It was the same routine every night. One leg under the blanket, one leg out, arm hanging off the side of the bed.

He was barely asleep when he felt the softest, coldest touch on his fingertips. This time, the hand wrapping itself around his didn’t try to pull him off of the bed. It just held onto him.

Several long minutes passed by before Sehun heard his name called softly through darkness.

“_Are you awake?”_

“Y-yes,” Sehun whispered.

He inhaled sharply as Kai was now suddenly floating above him, those piercing black eyes shining even in the pitch black of the room.

“Y-you scared me,” Sehun chuckled nervously.

Kai grinned. “That’s a first.”

Sehun sat up in the bed and Kai took a seat on the edge. He made to turn on the lamp, but Kai stopped him.

“Please don’t. I don’t want you to see me.”

Sehun frowned. “Where did you go? I was… I was starting to worry about you.”

The demon smiled softly. _Stupid human… always being so nice._ “I went into a… a void. I don’t really know how else to describe it to you. It’s like a never-ending expanse of nothingness. It’s dark there.”

Sehun pondered for a moment. “But… _why_?”

“I go there to think. When I want to be alone.”

Sehun sighed softly. “Look, I’m really sorry for whatever I said to upset you. I mean… I say a lot of things that upset you-“ Kai grinned at that, “-but I know I said something very wrong and I’m… _I’m sorry, Kai_.” Sehun’s voice wasn’t much more than a whisper.

Kai was silent for a moment. “I _was_ a pet, once. Actually, I was more like a puppet. But I obeyed my master for _years_. I would kill for him – torture for him. I’d even kiss his feet if he asked me to,” Kai laughed sadly. “He rewarded me by trapping me in this house. That’s Lucifer for you, I guess.”

“_Kai…_” Sehun placed a hand softly on the demon’s shoulder. Kai pulled away sharply and Sehun withdrew.

“I can’t even step foot outside. Do you know how I have longed to just walk barefoot across the grass and feel the sunlight beating down my back?” He sighed. “I just… I want to feel alive again.”

Sehun bit his lip.

Kai rolled his eyes at himself. “Funny coming from a demon, right?”

“I don’t think it’s funny,” Sehun said tenderly. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to feel alive. I’ve lived most of my life locked away in my room, escaping my miserable life through the fairytales of books. I might be a human, but I know exactly how you feel,” He smiled sadly.

For the first time, Kai smiled genuinely at Sehun. “You’re not all bad, I guess.”

“And neither are you.”

“You know that I’m going to try to kill you again tomorrow, right?”

“I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm terrible at responding to comments, but thank you all so much for the support. <3 Hope that you will continue to enjoy my ramblings.


	5. Cereal Killer

Sehun woke to the sound of… _moaning_? Is that what it was?

_“Ooooh… ahhhh… OOOOOOHHH!”_

That awful racket was getting louder and louder.

_What the hell…? _Startled, Sehun sat straight up in bed. He took one look at the source of the noise. The Hell, indeed it was.

Kai donned a white sheet with two holes cut out for his eyes. He was floating around Sehun’s room, oooh-ing and ahhh-ing like a tormented spirit. Sehun deadpanned.

“_Oooo-“_

“Hey, Beetlejuice, it’s six in the morning. Go back to sleep.”

“Damn it,” Kai groaned, pulling the sheet off of himself and ruffling his hair back into a more proper look of dishevelment. “Are you not scared of ghosts?” He asked in displeasure.

Sehun yawned. “Right now, my morning breath is scarier than you.”

Kai huffed, stomping his feet like a pouty child, and flew out of the room.

Several nights later, Kai slithered out from under Sehun’s bed. He saw that soft, warm hand lingering over the side, just perfect for grabbing. The demon restrained himself.

He drifted above Sehun’s bed, the mortal fast asleep at this hour. He watched him. Sehun’s chest rose and fell in time with his breathing. Kai placed a hand over the man’s chest. His heart was beating in a steady rhythm against the demon’s palm.

Kai sighed and removed his hand. He was… sad. He envied Sehun. He hadn’t met another human like this one. So full of life and simply not scared of anything, it seemed. Kai wanted to know more than anything what that was like.

He sank softly onto the bed next to Sehun. He lay on his side, propping himself on his elbow. He studied the human and his features. Wispy blonde hair covered his forehead. Sehun’s long eye lashes kissed the top of his cheeks and his pouty lips parted ever so slightly. His skin was milky and smooth, not a blemish to be found.

Kai hummed quietly. The human was actually quite beautiful. It would be a pity to kill him.

Sehun stirred and Kai froze. Suddenly, the arm hanging from the side of the bed whipped around, landing on top of Kai. He made no movements. Sehun found purchase in the small of Kai’s back and pulled him closer until he was flush against the human. Sehun nuzzled his head against Kai’s chest, eyes still closed.

Kai blushed. He _blushed_. He was a demon. And demons did not blush. It shouldn’t even be possible.

It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. And then Sehun let out a snore so loud that it could wake the dead. Kai rolled his eyes and pushed the human right off the side of the bed.

Sehun hit the floor with a loud thud. He jolted awake and sat straight up, hands braced against the floor, disoriented from his fall. He looked around the room, but saw nothing.

“Kai, was that you?” He said in an unsure tone. But, Kai had vanished.

Sehun groggily crawled back into bed, but sleep did not come easily.

Sehun awoke early that morning, unable to lie in bed for even another minute. He’d slept like hell and he’d had the craziest dream.

He headed straight to the bathroom to get a shower. He turned the water on until it was warm and inviting. Sehun peeled his shirt off and took a glance at his body. He scowled at the bruise forming on his hip and elbow before the steam began to cloud the mirror.

He closed his eyes as he let the water run down his face. When he opened them, he screamed and nearly slipped, catching Kai’s arm before he took a tumble.

“You know, there are easier ways to kill someone!” Sehun shouted, regaining his footing and making an effort to cover his private areas with his hands.

Kai shrugged his shoulders.

“Um, _hello_? Ever heard of personal space?”

“That’s hilarious coming from _you_.” The demon laughed sarcastically.

Sehun rolled his eyes. “You’re clothes are getting soaked, you weirdo.”

Before Sehun could blink, Kai’s clothes disappeared. He stood there stark naked in his six-foot-tall bronzed body, muscles glistening as the water dripped off of them. Sehun’s mouth opened and closed.

“Better?” Kai smirked, very much pleased with himself and the effect he seemed to have on the human.

Sehun looked down to avoid eye contact and his face turned beet red at the image that would be burned into his brain for the rest of his life. He put a hand over his eyes, though it inevitably meant less coverage of his own body.

“Okay, that’s enough showering for today.” Sehun squirmed nervously as he turned around, putting his hand out in front of him as he kept his eyes scrunched. He pulled the curtain slightly, reaching for his towel on the hook. He wrapped it around his waist as he cautiously stepped out of the shower.

He heard the water turn off behind him and the demon cleared his throat. “Can I have a towel?”

They sat across from each other at the dining room table. Sehun had fixed a bowl of cereal and Kai had copied him. Sehun watched Kai watching him. Every time he took a bite, the demon would mirror his movements.

“What are you doing?” Sehun finally asked, dropping his spoon in the bowl.

“I’m just trying to see what being human feels like,” Kai said sweetly, a charming smile spreading across his face.

Sehun deadpanned. “Were you not a human before you died and became a demon?”

“Maybe I should have rephrased that. I am trying to see what it feels like to be an _annoying _human,” Kai said sardonically.

Sehun groaned. “You know how you said you were going to kill me? Can I have that killing now please?”

Kai seemed thoughtful for a moment as he hummed. “Mmm… no.”

“What is that you want, Kai?” Sehun let out a sigh.

“I just want to see what it is that you humans do all day. Aside from chasing demons around and trying to smother them with your disgusting friendship.”

Sehun rolled his eyes. “Fine. If I let you follow me around today, then _you_ have to refer to me as your roommate _and_ you have to stay up all night with me and let me ask questions about your world.”

Kai crossed his arms over his chest. “Deal.”

Sehun’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Wait, really?”

“Don’t make me change my mind, Sehun.”


	6. You Used To Call Me On My Hell Phone

“Okay, so normally we start our days off with a relaxing shower and then a delicious breakfast. But the first one was kind of ruined,” Sehun said pointedly.

Kai glared.

“Next up, I usually check my Instagram.”

Kai looked confused. “What’s Instagram?”

“You’ve seriously never heard of Instagram?” Sehun gasped. Kai shook his head. “Well, get ready for your life to change.”

Sehun sat down on the sofa and patted the spot next to him. “Come on, Kai, I’m not gonna bite.” Sehun grinned. The demon took his spot next to the human.

Sehun tapped the screen a few times and what Kai assumed to be The Instagram popped up. “So the gist of it is that you post a picture and people can heart it or leave a comment. You can also send messages and make short videos. I don’t post many pictures, I’m more of a follower,” Sehun grinned. He looked up to make sure Kai was following along and he found the demon staring at him with a small smile on his face.

“What?” Sehun laughed. “Why are you smiling?”

Kai shook his head. “I’ve been stuck in this house so long that I’ve missed out on everything. This is just so interesting to me.”

Sehun smiled. “Well, if you think that’s interesting, wait until you see Snapchat.”

Sehun proceeded to tell Kai about this other form of social media and how it has the ability to make your face turn into some really crazy things.

“Watch this one!” Kai stared into the camera. “Okay, now open your mouth.” As soon as Kai opened his mouth, a rainbow waterfall began to pour out of it. Kai genuinely laughed for the first time in Satan knows how long.

“I want to try one!” Kai exclaimed. Sehun nodded happily and handed the phone to the eager demon.

He clicked the screen and held the phone up to his face. “Nothing is happening,” He frowned.

Sehun looked at it. “Oh, that’s because you need two people for this one. It’s a face swap.” Sehun scooted closer. “Watch this.” He placed his head next to Kai’s and as soon as the phone registered his face, it immediately put his face on Kai and Kai’s on his own.

“Now you can really know what it’s like to be a human,” Sehun chuckled.

Kai, or rather Sehun now, opened his mouth. “This is insane! How have I gone my entire death without knowing about this?”

“Normally, I’d probably be going into town to buy groceries, but since you can’t really do that, we’ll just move on to the next thing – responding to emails.”

Sehun opened his laptop. _One hundred and fifty-two new emails._

“Why do you have so many?” Kai sighed in wonder.

Sehun laughed. “This is _nothing_ compared to other people. Some people have thousands of unopened emails. I try to avoid that.” Sehun hummed. “These are mostly from my publishing company pressuring me to finish my next book. Some of them are from fans. And some are from hot, single women in my area who want to hook up.”

Kai’s eyes widened. “They send you sex invitations?!”

Sehun laughed hard. “Oh my gosh, Kai. The look on your face is priceless. It’s a scam. It’s not real.” Sehun grinned. “It’s probably from some guy in India trying to trick me into sending gift cards over the internet.”

Kai knit his brows. “I am utterly confused, but please continue.” Sehun could tell that Kai would definitely be the type of person to fall for the Nigerian Prince scam.

Sehun sighed. “I usually only reply to the business emails.” Sehun scrolled down the page. “It looks like we only have one today, so I’m just going to let them know how I’m doing with my writing and then I’m done.”

“So, you’re really an author?” Kai pondered.

Sehun nodded. “I was a pretty good one, too, when I was younger.”

“And you don’t think you’re good now?”

“Now, I’m just grateful if I can get out a few hundred words a day.” Sehun smiled softly, closing his laptop.

Finally, it was time for dinner. Sehun let Kai help with washing and cutting the vegetables, while he worked on seasoning the meat. When he was done cutting, Kai placed the veggies into the bowl of rice, now watching Sehun so focused and precise as he cut the meat into thin strips.

“You’re… you’re really good at cooking, Sehun.” Kai said softly, admitting something that he swore he never would.

Sehun beamed. “Cooking is my second passion in life.”

“What’s your first?” Kai wondered aloud.

“Eating.” The demon grinned at that.

Kai set the table, like a good human, and helped Sehun carry all the side dishes over. They sat across from each other, a bowl of bibimbap each and extra bowls of rice and vegetables to share.

Kai moaned with every bite he took.

Sehun was happy that Kai seemed to enjoy his food. He had to admit that he’d actually really enjoyed his company today. It was way more pleasant that arguing with the demon.

When Kai finished, he looked down at the empty bowl pitifully. Sehun chuckled. “Here, you can finish mine. I’m stuffed.” Kai smiled and happily accepted the bowl.

Sehun began clearing the empty dishes from the table and soaking them in soapy water. Kai brought the rest of them and took the sponge from Sehun’s hand. “I-I can wash them.”

“Really?” Sehun asked. “You’re being… weirdly nice.”

Kai glared. “I’m only doing this because I’m pretending to be a human today. So don’t think too much about it. You’re still dead later, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. Speaking of later – you still have to answer my questions. And trust me, I’ve got plenty.”

Kai pinched the bridge of his nose and scrunched his eyes as if he were in pain. “Curse me for making this deal.”

“Just meet me in the living room later,” Sehun said as he walked away. “And no takesies-backsies!”


	7. On This Episode of Snapped!

Sehun’s lips were warm. It was as if Kai was kissing the sun that he so dearly missed. Sehun timidly pressed his lips harder against the demon’s. Kai brought a hand to Sehun’s cheek and caressed the soft skin tenderly.

For a few blissful seconds, everything seemed right. _Normal_. It was as if the balance between good and evil was suddenly equal. Nothing could touch them.

And then Kai came to his senses. He pulled away from Sehun sharply. Sehun stared at him, stunned. Kai’s mouth opened and closed and then, in a split second, he was gone.

Sehun ran his hands through his hair and let out an exasperated sigh. “_What just happened_?”

Kai was beside himself. How could he so foolishly let this mortal corrupt him? He’d made that mistake with Josephine and at what cost? Her life _and_ his.

Kai was a demon and he would always be a demon. He was not inherently good. He was awful in life, just as he was in death. How reckless of him to think a measly human could ever change that.

Kai sighed. He had to stay away from Sehun. He’d gotten caught up in the moment. It was a brief spark of insanity that he couldn’t let happen again.

Kai deserved every bad thing that had ever happened to him. But Josephine didn’t. And neither did Sehun. And as much as Kai didn’t want to admit it, he was doing this for Sehun as much as he was for himself.

Days passed by and then those days turned into weeks before Sehun knew it. Kai had gone missing – for the second time. Sehun felt… numb? Is that what it was? It was like Kai just didn’t exist anymore. Or maybe he never existed and Sehun had actually gone insane.

Sehun was confused, more than anything. Things had never really been good between he and Kai, considering Kai regularly tried to murder him… but that last day was nice. And then Kai kissed him.

Sehun had never kissed anyone before. He now wondered if Kai could sense it and that maybe it was his lack of experience that drove the demon away. It seemed like a stupid reason, but Sehun had nothing better to do than to try and rationalize the situation.

Sehun sighed and clicked away at his keyboard. He’d gotten a lot of writing done in the last few weeks. He was actually proud of himself. His publishing company was certainly thrilled.

It was nearing lunch time and Sehun figured he’d earned a break. He saved his progress and closed his laptop. He meandered into the kitchen to make himself a sandwich.

He got all the ingredients out of the refrigerator. Turkey, provolone, lettuce, onion, tomato, honey mustard... all centered perfectly between two pieces of whole grain bread. Either he was just hungry or this was actually the best sandwich he had ever made.

He cut the sandwich in half and then turned to put everything back into the fridge. When he turned back around, his entire sandwich had disappeared. Sehun did a double take.

_Kai._

He groaned as he got all of his things back out of the fridge to make another sandwich.

Kai couldn’t help himself. He was a demon, after all. He was gluttonous. He tried to stay away from all of Sehun’s delicious food, but he couldn’t hold himself back any longer. As he long as he only took food and stayed away from the human otherwise, he figured everything would still be fine.

A couple weeks went by and Sehun went back to making two servings of whatever he had for lunch and dinner, just like old times. Today, Kai helped himself to Sehun’s hotteok. As he went to pick one up, he also noticed a small box with his name written on it. He looked around suspiciously, grabbed the box and several hotteok, and disappeared.

He stood in the basement with one hand on his hip and the other stuffing hotteok into his mouth as he stared at the box laid out in the middle of the floor. He slowly picked it up and shook it, hearing a rattling coming from within. Upon opening it, he found it to be a device just like Sehun’s – a _cellphone_. Only, Kai’s was more of a graphite grey color.

Kai held it gently. He studied it. He pressed the round button on the front. The screen lit up with a picture of a black cat and the current time. Kai pressed the button again and the screen changed. He instantly saw something he recognized. The Snap Chat. Kai’s mouth opened in a silent scream of excitement. He clicked it and the little ghost popped up before changing to a live image of his face. Kai did as Sehun showed him before and let the screen lock onto his face, then he began making lots of silly faces at himself.

Kai was having so much fun, that he almost missed the little bubble that popped up that said he had received a snap from Sehun. He clicked the bubble and an image of Sehun with cute freckles and a sad face appeared on his screen with a message that read, “Are you alive?”

Kai sighed. Why was the human so damn cute? He clicked twice where it said “double tap to respond.” He chose the funniest face he could find and sent it. He wasn’t sure how to put words on his picture yet. That was something he’d have to explore.

Almost immediately, Kai received another message from Sehun. It was a video.

“Hi, pabo. Dinner will be ready at six if you’d like to join me. Hold down the button on your picture to make a video. Bye.” Sehun waved at him sadly and the video ended.

In another part of the house, tucked away at his computer desk, Sehun received a snap from the demon he co-habited with. “Sehun, you make good food, so I will be there. Thanks for giving me The Snap Chat. By the way, I will try to kill you later. Goodbye.” Sehun chuckled. Kai was probably very proud of that one.


	8. Killing Me Softly

Sehun hummed to himself as he chopped the vegetables he would be steaming for dinner. He wondered if Kai would actually show up. Knowing the demon, he definitely wouldn’t miss steamed dumplings and veggies.

Sehun didn’t have to wonder for long. He sensed that he was being watched. He knew Kai would run if he turned around, so he held up the knife nonchalantly and smirked when he saw Kai standing in the doorway in the reflection on the knife.

“You can help out if you’d like,” Sehun said as he went back to chopping the vegetables.

In an instant, he felt the cold blade of the knife pressed against his throat as it was removed from his hands. He swallowed loudly, the knife pressing harder against his Adam’s Apple.

“It would be so easy to kill you,” Kai growled.

“Yes, it would,” Sehun said nervously, his jaw clamped shut.

“_So, why can’t I do it?_” Kai whispered dejectedly, dropping the knife onto the cutting board.

Sehun gasped and brought his hands to his neck. The knife had drawn the smallest bit of blood from the tiniest wound, but Sehun was otherwise unharmed. He turned around, expecting Kai to have disappeared once again, but the demon stood there, mere inches from Sehun. The human could feel the heat radiating from within Kai, but he knew that the demon would be cold to the touch.

“So why is it, then?” Sehun said softly. “Why can’t you kill me? You’ve had so many opportunities.”

Kai said nothing.

Tears brimmed in Sehun’s eyes. “Just do it! Kill me if that’s what you want!” He yelled. He picked up the knife and put it back in Kai’s hand. Kai didn’t budge. Sehun wrapped his hand around Kai’s and put the blade back up to his neck. “Do it, Kai. Finish the job.” He said through gritted teeth. “It’s not that hard.”

Black pools filled Kai’s eyes. “I-I can’t…” He said holding back a sob. “I can’t hurt you, Sehun.”

Sehun dropped Kai’s hand and fell to the floor, defeated. “I’m so tired of looking over my shoulder. Trying to be your friend while you keep trying to be my enemy is exhausting.”

Kai sank to his knees in front of Sehun. “I’m sorry, Sehun.” Black, gooey liquid streamed down his face. “You don’t deserve any of this.” Kai licked his thumb and swiped it across the small cut on Sehun’s neck, healing it.

“Hmph. I always thought “fighting your demons” was a metaphor,” Sehun said quietly.

“Can… can we start over?” Kai asked nervously.

“That depends,” Sehun looked up, lips pressed into a thin line.

“On what?”

“Whether or not you’ll help me with dinner.”

The demon and the human grinned at each other. Kai pulled Sehun into his arms. Sehun was understandably a little nervous, but slowly wrapped his arms around Kai’s broad torso.

Kai cleared his throat and released the human. “S-sorry about that. I’m… I’m trying to… to be more human.” Kai stood up, grabbing Sehun’s arms and pulling him up with him.

“You don’t have to be a human to be decent, Kai. I know what you are and I accept you for that. I just want to be your friend. You don’t have to change to make that happen. Just… just maybe try not to kill me so much,” Sehun laughed softly.

“I promise,” Kai said excitedly. “Only, like, _once_ a month from now on.”


End file.
